“This is your outcome then, that Socrates should suffer the fate he did at the hands of the Athenians?”
Slave, why do you say, “Socrates”? State the fact as it really is, That Socrates' vile body should be arrested and haled to prison by those who are stronger, and that someone should give hemlock to Socrates' vile body and it should die of chill—does this seem to you marvelous, does this seem unjust, is it for this you accuse God?
Did Socrates then get nothing in exchange? In what did his true good consist? Which are we to attend to? To you or to him? Nay, what does Socrates say? “Anytus or Meletus can slay me, but they cannot harm me,” and again, “If God so will, so be it.”
Prove, I say, that one who has worse judgements gains the mastery over him who is his superior in judgements. You will not prove it: far from it. For the law of nature and of God is this, “Let the better always come out victor over the worse.”
Victorious in what? In that wherein it is better. One body is stronger than another, the majority are stronger than one, the thief stronger than he who is not a thief.
That is why I too lost my lamp, because in the matter of vigilance the thief was a stronger man than I. But he bought his lamp for this price: for a lamp he became a thief, for a lamp he broke his faith, for a lamp he became a brute. This seemed to his judgement to be profitable.
Slave, why do you say, “Socrates”? State the fact as it really is, That Socrates' vile body should be arrested and haled to prison by those who are stronger, and that someone should give hemlock to Socrates' vile body and it should die of chill—does this seem to you marvelous, does this seem unjust, is it for this you accuse God?
Did Socrates then get nothing in exchange? In what did his true good consist? Which are we to attend to? To you or to him? Nay, what does Socrates say? “Anytus or Meletus can slay me, but they cannot harm me,” and again, “If God so will, so be it.”
Prove, I say, that one who has worse judgements gains the mastery over him who is his superior in judgements. You will not prove it: far from it. For the law of nature and of God is this, “Let the better always come out victor over the worse.”
Victorious in what? In that wherein it is better. One body is stronger than another, the majority are stronger than one, the thief stronger than he who is not a thief.
That is why I too lost my lamp, because in the matter of vigilance the thief was a stronger man than I. But he bought his lamp for this price: for a lamp he became a thief, for a lamp he broke his faith, for a lamp he became a brute. This seemed to his judgement to be profitable.
—from Epictetus, Discourses 1.29
Even the least educated people know the name of Socrates, and they speak of him with a sort of vague reverence. Everyone is expected to read the Apology in a college philosophy class, and then write a color-by-numbers paper about how wise he was. He even made an appearance in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a guilty pleasure from my youth.
And yet if people really took him seriously, they would recognize how he goes against the grain of everything they hold dear, and they would be deeply offended by the way he calls them out for their hypocrisy and greed.
As a philosopher who stressed a life of virtue at all costs, Socrates is the grandfather of Stoicism, a way of life that would never compromise character for the sake of convenience. Is it any wonder the Athenians killed him? We would likely do exactly the same to such an enemy of a consumer society.
I am pleased when certain students recognize the challenge he offers, and they are confused by the fact that he did not flatter the jurors, or beg or mercy, or try to escape from prison.
His attitude, like that of the Stoics, can only make sense when the highest good is found in the excellence of the soul, and all other conditions are totally relative. No politician, lawyer, or banker would last a day at the office if he thought like that!
Socrates didn’t fear his fate, because he understood that wickedness runs faster than death, and that the better man cannot be harmed by the worse man. Surviving for another day is subservient to thriving in conscience, right here and now.
Once the true measure of life is grasped, we no longer feel wronged by the misdeeds of the ignorant, and that is why we do not wrong them in return, or treat them as they have treated us.
Anytus and Meletus took away Socrates’ body, but his dignity remained intact. This is the only kind of hero who counts.
The other day, on a far less dramatic scale, I was struggling with bitterness when a shifty coworker stole my Corona “Old Boy” pipe lighter. I only overcame my spiral into resentment by thinking about what Socrates would say, and by remembering the story about Epictetus’ lamp.
The scoundrel now has my lighter, and I am now without one of my favorite accessories. By his standards, he has won the battle. I must, however, remember that by my standards he is far poorer for being a thief, and I am far richer by forgiving him. I’m not going to stoop to caring more for a mere thing than I care for my integrity.
If that makes any sense to you, you are on your way to honoring Socrates, to following the Stoics, to becoming a decent man, the only standard that counts.
Even the least educated people know the name of Socrates, and they speak of him with a sort of vague reverence. Everyone is expected to read the Apology in a college philosophy class, and then write a color-by-numbers paper about how wise he was. He even made an appearance in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a guilty pleasure from my youth.
And yet if people really took him seriously, they would recognize how he goes against the grain of everything they hold dear, and they would be deeply offended by the way he calls them out for their hypocrisy and greed.
As a philosopher who stressed a life of virtue at all costs, Socrates is the grandfather of Stoicism, a way of life that would never compromise character for the sake of convenience. Is it any wonder the Athenians killed him? We would likely do exactly the same to such an enemy of a consumer society.
I am pleased when certain students recognize the challenge he offers, and they are confused by the fact that he did not flatter the jurors, or beg or mercy, or try to escape from prison.
His attitude, like that of the Stoics, can only make sense when the highest good is found in the excellence of the soul, and all other conditions are totally relative. No politician, lawyer, or banker would last a day at the office if he thought like that!
Socrates didn’t fear his fate, because he understood that wickedness runs faster than death, and that the better man cannot be harmed by the worse man. Surviving for another day is subservient to thriving in conscience, right here and now.
Once the true measure of life is grasped, we no longer feel wronged by the misdeeds of the ignorant, and that is why we do not wrong them in return, or treat them as they have treated us.
Anytus and Meletus took away Socrates’ body, but his dignity remained intact. This is the only kind of hero who counts.
The other day, on a far less dramatic scale, I was struggling with bitterness when a shifty coworker stole my Corona “Old Boy” pipe lighter. I only overcame my spiral into resentment by thinking about what Socrates would say, and by remembering the story about Epictetus’ lamp.
The scoundrel now has my lighter, and I am now without one of my favorite accessories. By his standards, he has won the battle. I must, however, remember that by my standards he is far poorer for being a thief, and I am far richer by forgiving him. I’m not going to stoop to caring more for a mere thing than I care for my integrity.
If that makes any sense to you, you are on your way to honoring Socrates, to following the Stoics, to becoming a decent man, the only standard that counts.
—Reflection written in 5/2001
What do the Stoics mean when they say "God"? I'm a little familiar with the idea of "logos" as a ruling principal. Did they mean that? Was that something man and the gods were subject to, or where the gods above it?
ReplyDeleteI'm familiar with the myths, and I'm a little familiar with the philosophy, but I'm fuzzy on how or if they interact.
Yes, the Logos is a Stoic way of describing the Ruling Principle, the Ultimate Reality.
DeleteStoic physics is either pantheist, or perhaps panentheist, depending on how those terms are defined. The entire Universe is "charged" with the Divine Mind, such that all creatures are expressions or emanations of this one Whole. All is subject to Providence.
Though the professional scholars roll their eyes, I would suggest that whenever the wise seek God, and they are willing to think "big" enough, they are all struggling to approach one and the same Being.
Agree. Especially since He looks the same (or at least awfully similar) across cultures.
DeleteNot relevant but I'm not sure where else to ask this... could I get your email?
stoicusok@gmail.com
DeleteThank you!
ReplyDelete